Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

यच्च धर्मार्थकामानां मोक्षस्य च रसातले । माहात्म्यं कथयामास कूर्मरूपी जनार्दनः

Transliteration

yacca dharmārthakāmānāṃ mokṣasya ca rasātale | māhātmyaṃ kathayāmāsa kūrmarūpī janārdanaḥ

Translation

Et la gloire du dharma, de l’artha, du kāma, et aussi du mokṣa—enseignée en Rasātala—fut racontée par Janārdana sous la forme de la Tortue (Kūrma).

Word by Word

• यत्: which (that which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• धर्मार्थकामानाम्: of dharma, artha, and kāma
• धर्मार्थकामानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + अर्थ + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• मोक्षस्य: of liberation
• मोक्षस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• रसातले: in Rasātala (netherworld)
• रसातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness; sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• कथयामास: narrated/told
• कथयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (णिजन्त; कथ् (धातु) + णिच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• कूर्मरूपी: having the form of a tortoise
• कूर्मरूपी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कूर्म + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कूर्मरूपः यस्य/कूर्मरूपिन्) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims within the narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Janārdana as Kūrma in the nether realm (Rasātala), surrounded by sages/serpents and luminous śāstric scrolls, expounding the four puruṣārthas with mokṣa as the summit.

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana
• Kūrma (tortoise form)
• Rasātala
• Dharma
• Artha
• Kāma
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All human aims culminate in mokṣa when grounded in divine instruction; Purāṇas preserve that guidance through avatāra narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative remains within Prabhāsa-māhātmya; this verse highlights a cosmic locale (Rasātala) rather than a terrestrial tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it references a doctrinal narration by Kūrma-form Janārdana.